Akira Mimasaka
was a member of the F4, consisting of his friends Tsukasa Domyoji, Rui Hanazawa, and Sojiro Nishikado. Being the mature one of his friends, Akira held the group together. His family consisted of his father, mother, and twin sisters, Emu and Memu. Akira was also known for his interest in older women. Biography Early life Akira was born on February 28 to a wealthy family. His mother gave birth to him when she was only twenty years old. He had two much younger twin sisters named Emu and Memu.Chapter 172, Boys Over Flowers As he grew older, Akira often had to take care of his youthful, immature mother. He thus became attracted to "older, more settled women.""Night of the Crescent Moon," Boys Over Flowers In kindergarten, he became friends with Tsukasa Domyoji, Sojiro Nishikado, and Rui Hanazawa. They also met Shizuka Todo around this time.Chapter 7, Boys Over Flowers High school After graduating from middle school, Akira moved on to Eitoku Senior High with his childhood friends. They became known as the F4 at some point. The group used their families status' to defy school policies, such as wearing street clothes. They eventually became leaders of the school. Instead of using their power for good, the F4 instilled fear in the students by handing out red cards to those who opposed them. The students who received said red cards often left the school after being bullied by their classmates.Chapter 1, Boys Over Flowers Meeting Tsukushi , Rui, and Tsukasa]] Akira and the F4 first encountered Tsukushi Makino, when her friend hit Tsukasa by accident. Tsukushi protected her, earning herself a red card. However, instead of quietly leaving school, Tsukushi stood up to them by giving them her own "declaration of war." Akira and Sojiro were impressed by her "spunky" actions, though they did not think she would last long. Later, Akira commented that Tsukushi was "kinda cute" up close, while Sojiro compared her to Tsukasa's sister.Chapter 2, Boys Over Flowers A couple days later, Akira heard that Tsukasa had hired some guys to hurt Tsukushi. He called it "sick" and questioned whether Tsukasa was responding to his sister's abuse from when he was a child.Chapter 3, Boys Over Flowers Several days later, Akira and Sojiro decided to leave Tsukushi alone. Akira said "Going after a guy's okay, but bullying a girl isn't my speed."Chapter 5, Boys Over Flowers The next day, he and Sojiro were eating lunch together, while discussing Shizuka. Tsukushi happened to walk by, so they invited her to join them. They revealed to her that Shizuka was Rui's first love. Shizuka arrived the following day at Eitoku to see the F4. She greeted Akira, Sojiro, Tsukasa, and Rui each with a kiss. They then left to go to a dance club.Chapter 8, Boys Over Flowers A day later, Tsukushi's friend Kazuya Aoike transferred to Eitoku, irritating Tsukasa. He gave Kazuya a red slip without asking the others, which Akira complained about during lunch with Shizuka at the university. Tsukushi and Kazuya entered the room shortly, having been chased there by the bullies.Chapter 9, Boys Over Flowers Rui protected Tsukushi, angering Tsukasa, who responded by ending his friendship with Rui. A couple of days later, Tsukasa told them that they were going to Atami instead of Hawaii for summer vacation.Chapter 10, Boys Over Flowers Akira and the others traveled to Atami on Tsukasa's yacht. They arrived at the beach, where they were surprised to meet Tsukushi along with Kazuya and her parents. Before that night's party, Shizuka gave Tsukushi a makeover. Akira praised her skills, saying "Gotta hand it to Shizuka."Chapter 11, Boys Over Flowers The next morning, Akira teased Tsukasa and Tsukushi about staring at each other. Sojiro then mentioned seeing them kiss at the party. That night, Tsukushi accidentally walked in on Akira and Sojiro in a room with three girls. She was quickly kicked out.Chapter 12, Boys Over Flowers They were interrupted again when Tsukasa burst into the room. He invited them to eat fish on the ship's deck. Akira was shocked to learn that Tsukasa spent his whole night fishing. Tsukasa asked them to take a piece to grilled fish to Rui, but they refused telling him to do it himself.Chapter 13, Boys Over Flowers Start of fall term On the first day of the fall term, Tsukasa picked up Akira and Sojiro early for school. The two were dumbfounded when they realized his reason was to play a childish prank on Tsukushi. He then claimed that Tsukushi was in love with him, though they did not believe him. Later, he asked them about Tsukushi meeting Rui at the emergency stairwell which they were unaware of. Yuriko Asai and her friends then approached them, showing Tsukasa a video of Tsukushi practically confessing her feelings to Rui.Chapter 14, Boys Over Flowers Enraged, Tsukasa hit Yuriko when she tried to touch him. Akira then said "Tsukushi Makino's really something to take on the F4," adding that he never thought she liked Tsukasa. He got a look in his eye, which scared both Akira and Sojiro. Tsukasa then went on a rampage. Akira tried to stop from harming a student, but realized "Nothing's gonna stop him now."Chapter 15, Boys Over Flowers A few days later, Akira attended Shizuka's birthday party with his friends. Tsukushi later beat up a producer for harassing a young girl. Akira eventually held her back, saying "That's enough, Tsukushi. You'll kill him."Chapter 17, Boys Over Flowers After Shizuka made her announcement to return to France, Akira exclaimed "What a bombshell."Chapter 18, Boys Over Flowers The next day, a student dropped a coin in Tsukushi's drink and she drank it. Akira was grossed out about it. Nearby, they overheard some girls scheming about trying to catch Rui. Akira said "They'll be lucky if he says hello."Chapter 19, Boys Over Flowers On the day of Shizuka's departure, he and Sojiro were unable to contact Rui. They tried calling him again at the airport to no avail. He showed up after Shizuka left and revealed to the others that he was going after her. Akira and Sojiro were surprised that Tsukushi had persuaded Rui since they thought she had a crush on him.Chapter 20, Boys Over Flowers The following day, he and Sojiro caught Tsukasa reading a book about dating. They assumed he was going out with one of the models from Shizuka's party. Akira said "If you base your info on that nonsense, she'll just laugh at you." They then described their ideal dates with Akira's leaning more on the mature side.Chapter 21, Boys Over Flowers The two later heard that he went on an overnight date with Tsukushi and assumed that they had had sex. When they asked him about it, they were both impressed and surprised by his answers though he actually had no idea what they were talking about. Akira even apologized for "making fun of him all this time." Tsukushi coincidentally walked up. Akira and Sojiro then teased Tsukasa for being so "uptight" around her.Chapter 23, Boys Over Flowers The next day, Tsukushi ate lunch with the F4. She suddenly dropped her spoon, making a loud noise which irritated Akira.Chapter 24, Boys Over Flowers Rui returns Later, Tsukushi introduced Sakurako Sanjo to him, Sojiro, and Tsukasa. Akira invited her to sit next to him.Chapter 25, Boys Over Flowers The next day, Sakurako seemed very comfortable around them, despite claiming to be afraid of boys before. Chapter 26, Boys Over Flowers Though Akira did not dote on her like Sojiro, he defended Sakurako when Tsukasa yelled at her.Chapter 27, Boys Over Flowers At some point, Akira slept with Sakurako even though he only liked older women. She had told him "You're the only one." He was later surprised to find out that she had also slept with Sojiro and said the same thing to him.Chapter 30, Boys Over Flowers The next day, Akira and Sojiro found that Tsukasa had strung up several students by their ankles from the roof. The two had no idea why he was doing that.Chapter 31, Boys Over Flowers Rui then opened the door of the roof and declared "I'm back." Though Surprised, the F4 greeted him warmly. They then decided to cut the rest of the day to hang out.Chapter 32, Boys Over Flowers Sakurako's past came to light the next day. Akira did not remember her from back then. The same night, the F4 went to a night club. Commenting on Rui's change, Akira said "I wonder if something happened with Shizuka."Chapter 33, Boys Over Flowers The following day, the F4 went on a trip to Tsukasa's family's island. Akira brought his older married girlfriend along.Chapter 34, Boys Over Flowers That night, he made special cocktails for everyone, including one called "Between the Sheets."Chapter 35, Boys Over Flowers Tsukasa later woke up an irritated Akira and Sojiro, when Tsukushi disappeared though she had just gone for a walk.Chapter 36, Boys Over Flowers The next morning, Kazuya, Sakurako and Thomas arrived while they were on the beach. Kazuya brought news of Shizuka's engagement. Akira asked Rui "Are you okay with it?" to which he replied "It's all over."Chapter 37, Boys Over Flowers The next day, everyone had to take Kazuya's boat home when Tsukasa left by himself on his jet.Chapter 38, Boys Over Flowers Rift in the F4 After returning to Tokyo, Tsukasa informed Akira and Sojiro about seeing Rui and Tsukushi kiss. They confronted Rui about it at school. He admitted to feeling "bad" about it, to which Akira responded "If you feel bad about it, don't do it!" Tsukasa eventually interrupted to declare "You're not one of us" to Rui.Chapter 39, Boys Over Flowers A few days later, Akira was surprised when Tsukasa brought Sakurako along to hang out with them. He and Sojiro lost track of them at some point and decided to head home on their own.Chapter 41, Boys Over Flowers Later at school, Tsukasa made an announcement that Kazuya was replacing Rui in the F4. Akira and Sojiro went along with it at first, though they were not happy about it.Chapter 44, Boys Over Flowers Tsukasa then announced that he wanted Tsukushi and Rui expelled from school. That night, Akira and Sojiro tried to talk him out of doing it, but were unable to.Chapter 45, Boys Over Flowers The next day, Tsukasa's sister Tsubaki Domyoji intercepted her brother's attempt to blackmail the school's principal. Tsukushi then promised to leave the school to appease Tsukasa, while Rui said the same thing. Akira also declared he would leave too, becoming emotional as he said "I've had enough of this!" Tsubaki interrupted everyone and told them to settle the matter through "sports." A three-on-three basketball match was thus decided upon.Chapter 46, Boys Over Flowers Together Akira and Sojiro agreed to win the match and "talk Tsukasa out of this idiocy later."Chapter 49, Boys Over Flowers The next day, the match was held at Eitoku to much fanfare. They played well against Rui, Tsukushi, and Kazuya until Tsukasa started acting erratically. Akira and Sojiro eventually realized that Rui was using Tsukasa's jealously against him. Akira tried to calm down Tsukasa, who then hit him in response.Chapter 48, Boys Over Flowers With only ten seconds left, Tsukasa shocked everyone by declaring "I quit" and then walking off. Akira and Sojiro expressed their annoyance at Tsukasa's "selfish" behavior. Tsubaki pointed out that they still got the outcome they wanted, meaning Rui staying at Eitoku.Chapter 49, Boys Over Flowers Afterwards, they all went to the Domyojis' to celebrate. At one point, Akira and Sojiro asked Rui "how far had gone" with Tsukushi. They were surprised to learn that they had not had sex yet. Tsubaki then offered Rui and Tsukushi one of the guest rooms, which Akira and Sojiro locked them into.Chapter 50, Boys Over Flowers Later on, they were talking about Rui and Tsukushi when Tsukasa walked in the house. Akira noticed him first and tried to stop Sojiro from talking, before attempting to placate him. Tsubaki instead was honest about what was happening. Tsukasa took the news well, leaving Akira and Sojiro shocked but pleased.Chapter 51, Boys Over Flowers Teen of Japan ]] The next day, Akira and Sojiro spied on Tsukasa talking normally to Tsukushi. Akira told him "All that practice paid off."Chapter 52, Boys Over Flowers Later that day, he was impressed about Tsukasa making up his mind to get over Tsukushi. Tsukasa was evidently still irritated at Rui, who walked up seconds later. Once Tsukasa stormed away, Akira and Sojiro asked Rui about his night with Tsukushi. He revealed that nothing had happened since he felt he could not betray Tsukasa.Chapter 53, Boys Over Flowers The next day, Akira and the others learned that Tsukasa was going to New York. They became upset when he informed them he would be there for two years.Chapter 54, Boys Over Flowers That night, the F4 held a going-away party for Tsukasa. Akira wondered why Tsukushi did not show up. Kazuya then revealed her recent money troubles. The next morning, Akira and the others saw off Tsukasa and Tsubaki at the airport.Chapter 56, Boys Over Flowers Tsukasa returned to school only four days later. Akira and the others rushed to see him. He told them "It was so boring, so I came back." Akira answered "How can you know that in four days?!"Chapter 60, Boys Over Flowers The F4 later decided to cut the rest of the day. They walked by Tsukushi at the gate. When Tsukasa said "Something smells here," Tsukushi blamed it on Akira, much to his indignation.Chapter 61, Boys Over Flowers Two days later, Akira saw Tsukushi's house on television which made the news due to Tsukasa's fight with Seinosuke Amakusa. Akira said "I didn't think she was that poor." Tsukasa then announced he was entering Tsukushi in Teen of Japan in order to "make her look like she deserves him."Chapter 62, Boys Over Flowers Later at Tsukasa's house, Sojiro burst in and told the guys about Tsukushi's leading competitor. Akira asked Tsukasa "So what are you going to do?" He remained confident in Tsukushi.Chapter 65, Boys Over Flowers On Christmas Eve, the F4 and Tsubaki attended Teen of Japan to support Tsukushi. Like the others, Akira was a bit dumbfounded by the outfit Tsukushi chose for the first round though she passed on to the next.Chapter 68, Boys Over Flowers Before the second round, Sojiro suggested to give Tsukushi a "pep talk." Akira guessed that Sojiro only wanted to meet Ayano Kurimaki. Backstage, they all wished her good luck.Chapter 69, Boys Over Flowers During the second round, Akira initially called Tsukushi's English "first-lesson stuff." He was then impressed by her next sentence, saying "And I was counting on her monosyllabic strategy."Chapter 70, Boys Over Flowers When Tsukushi made it to the final round, Akira, Tsukasa, and Sojiro took up for her when the audience began badmouthing her.Chapter 71, Boys Over Flowers After the final round, Tsukushi lost but was granted a special prize. The F4 clapped for her and Akira told her "Good job. You really hung in there!"Chapter 73, Boys Over Flowers Canada trip That night, Akira and the others took out Tsukushi to celebrate. In her speech, she described being "so happy" when the F4 clapped for her. While she was in the bathroom, the guys learned Tsukasa had planned a Christmas date with Tsukushi. Akira and Sojiro gave him advice on how to make his move, thus irritating him.Chapter 74, Boys Over Flowers The next day, they waited at Tsukasa's house to see how it went. Judging by his mood, they guessed they he and Tsukushi had fought again. Sojiro later came up with a plan to help the couple, roping Akira and Rui into it. At Tsukushi's job, they helped sell out the store which included having Akira kiss the customers on the cheek. Tsukushi offered them her commission. They turned her down and asked her to go to Canada with them instead.Chapter 76, Boys Over Flowers Later, Tsukasa refused to go to Canada if she went. Akira and Sojiro knew that he would end up going anyway.Chapter 77, Boys Over Flowers College Meeting Haruto and Oto and Oto at the airport]] Akira and Sojiro were at the airport to see off his sisters, whom were going to Switzerland for three weeks, when they ran into Haruto Kaguragi and Oto Edogawa. Sojiro introduced Haruto as "that high school guy I told you about," jogging Akira's memory. His sisters then clung to him and promised to call him several times a day, before finally leaving. Akira and Sojiro turned their attention to Oto, who introduced herself. The two offered to give Haruto and Oto a ride home.Chapter 69, Boys Over Flowers Season 2 On the drive, Sojiro invited them to Akira's house. They showed them into the guest house and locked them inside, recalling the time they did the same thing to Tsukasa and Tsukushi.Chapter 70, Boys Over Flowers Season 2 Several minutes later, they returned to let them out and then served tea.Chapter 71, Boys Over Flowers Season 2 After saying goodbye, Akira told Sojiro "Looking at those two reminds me of the past.Chapter 72, Boys Over Flowers Season 2 The following winter, Rui asked Tsukasa to come see Tsukushi since she missed him. Since he only had an hour and Tsukushi was leaving for Los Angeles, the F4 nearly missed her. Haruto happened to have seen them and called Oto to stop the plane. As they ran, Akira said "You and Makino, how long are you two gonna keep doing this?"Chapter 106, Boys Over Flowers Season 2 They made it in time though Tsukasa and Tsukushi started fighting. Airi Maya asked whether they were okay. Akira assured that it was "normal." Everything ended up being okay. Tsukasa then spoke to Haruto for a bit, before the F4 and Tsukushi went their separate ways.Chapter 107, Boys Over Flowers Season 2 Several days later, Sojiro and Akira had befriended Correct 5 member Issa Narumiya. They invited him to go out to pick up girls with them. Sojiro mused whether "true love" existed. Akira answered "Let's go look for it tonight!"Chapter 111, Boys Over Flowers Season 2 Physical appearance As with the other F4 members, Akira was a good-looking, young man. His hair was naturally wavy. He began growing it out in middle school until it was about shoulder-length. He often wore it in a ponytail. In his third year, Akira opt to have it straighten and parted in the center. Personality and traits Akira was essentially the mediator of his friend, which kept the group together. He was often the one to stop fights before they got to bad and tried his best to bring about a resolution. Akira was mature for his age, likely from having to resolve his friends' problems as well as taking care of his mother. He disliked younger women, whom he usually thought of as childish like his mother. Therefore, Akira was attracted to older women and dated them almost exclusively. His relationships had short lifespans since the woman were usually married. They tended to last longer than Sojiro's relationships since he dated around more. He was known for being particular about hygiene and could be described as a "germophobe." Akira was also good at sports, particularly basketball. He, Sojiro, and Tsukasa were scouted in junior high, but stopped playing because "it's not cool to sweat." Behind the scenes *Akira debuts in the first chapter of Boys Over Flowers and appears regularly throughout the series. *Koyasu Takehito voices Akira in the audio drama, ''Hana Yori Dango'', released in three parts during 1993 and 1994. Author Yoko Kamio enjoyed it, calling the voice actors "very well trained."''Boys Over Flowers'' volume 4, side-columns as Akira (right)]] *He is played by Koichi Hashizume in his film debut ''Hana Yori Dango'' (1995).http://www.allcinema.net/prog/show_c.php?num_c=152613 (Japanese) Hashizume's career was cut short when he died in July 1999. Akira and Sojiro are not seen apart during the entirety of the film. They aide Tsukasa in bullying Tsukushi. The two tease first Tsukasa about Tsukushi's similarities to his sister and later when they start dating. Akira is not shown to have a preference for older women in this version. *Akira is voiced by Yuta Mochizuki in the 1996 anime adaptation. *In Meteor Garden (2001), a version of Akira, named Mei Zuo, is portrayed by Vanness Wu. Mei Zuo is a loyal friend and supports Dao Ming Si's (Tsukasa) relationship with Shan Cai (Tsukushi). Unlike in the manga, Mei Zuo is sporty, playful, and does not have a preference for older women. An episode of Meteor Rain (2001) focuses on Mei Zuo's budding romance with a Japanese girl, named Aisa. as Akira]] *Tsuyoshi Abe portrays Akira in Hana Yori Dango (2005), Hana Yori Dango Returns, and Hana Yori Dango Final (2008). Like in the manga, Akira helps keep his friends together, leading them to sometimes call him "nosy." He also dates older women and never allows his relationships to get serious. Unlike in the manga, Akira's father is a member of the Japanese yakuza. After graduating high school, Akira is integrated into the family business and appears to be the head of it by Final. Appearances *''Hana Yori Dango: Margaret Anime Album'' *''Hana Yori Dango: Another Love Story'' *''Hana Yori Dango FF'' *''Hana Yori Dango: Koi Seyo Otome!'' *''Hana Yori Dango: F4 and First Kiss'' *''Hana Yori Dango: The Musical'' *''Boys Over Flowers: The Musical'' *''Hana Yori Dango'' (2019 musical) }} References Category:A to Z Category:Males Category:Characters Category:Manga Category:Manga characters Category:Season 2 Category:Season 2 characters Category:F4 members Category:Eitoku Academy students Category:Mimasaka family Category:Tokyo residents